B008DKAYYQ EBOK (28 page)

“I’m working on something, a plan. But I might have to go away.”

“To prison?”

“Witness protection.”

She snapped her head up. “Jamie will talk this time.”

Sark’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know?”

“I was on the phone with him when … by the pool. He said he had a plan that might involve witness protection. I had no idea what he meant at the time, but he must be planning to turn on Payne.” She glanced between Sark and Kathleen. “I can call him on his cell.”

Kathleen immediately unhooked the smartphone from her belt and handed it over. “Just tell him you want to meet with him so you can talk.”

She dialed and waited for the call to connect. When the call went straight to James’ voice mail, she disconnected. “He’s not answering.”
 

Sark pulled out his own cell phone. “Do you know if he’s contacted the police or the FBI?” His features looked animated for the first time as he punched buttons on his phone.
 

“He didn’t say,” Bailey said. “He wouldn’t tell me anything more.”

“Do you know where he might be?” Kathleen asked.

Bailey blinked at the federal agent. Their urgency was freaking her out. Make that, freaking her out
more
. “No.”

“You need to tell us where we can find him, Miss Chase,” Sark said. “His life could be in danger.”

Bailey’s stomach plunged into the abyss. “When I talked to him, he was at home. I don’t know where he was when … when Payne called his cell to … tell him I was … I was … okay.”
 

She looked at Cole. Hot tears welled too fast, emotion like a demon inside her, clawing its way up her throat. She couldn’t breathe. Her head felt light, as if all of the blood had drained out of it. Payne Kincaid, the man who’d been like a second father to her, was in charge of a large smuggling operation. James had been his right-hand man. And now her brother’s life could be in danger.

Bailey had to get out of this room, away from these people.

Her chair made a deafening noise as she scooted it back and rose. “Bathroom?”

Cole was watching her, his eyes sharp.

Kathleen gestured. “Down the hall, first door on the right.”

Bailey concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. Right, left, right, left.
 

By the time she reached the first door on the right, her muscles had begun to forget how to walk. She’d just gotten the door closed when her legs gave out, and she slid down the wall until her tailbone met the floor.

In the dark, she leaned her forehead on her knees and took deep breaths to fight off the powerful urge to throw up.

Chapter 37

“Do you think you should check on her?” Kathleen asked. “She didn’t look so hot.”

Cole glanced toward the hallway, tamping down the urge to go after Bailey. She needed a couple of minutes, some space. But staying put took all his willpower.

Sark stood and headed for the living room. “I have some calls to make.”
 

“So she’s the one.”

Cole registered Kathleen’s considering look. His anger at her returned full force. He got up and went to the coffeemaker where he poured steaming coffee into one of the bright red mugs Kathleen had set out. “She’s the one what?”

“Daniel said you punched him out over a woman. I suspected earlier today, but I wasn’t sure until now. You do remember that she broke his heart, don’t you?”

Cole clenched his jaw so hard his teeth ached in protest. “I wouldn’t put too much stock in what that asshole has to say.”

“Believe it or not, he admitted he deserved the decking.”

Cole snorted. “Right.” He sipped too-hot coffee and grimaced at the sting. When he felt as though he could look at her without snarling, he turned to face her. “You know what really pisses me off, Kath?”

“What?”

“My friends are turning out to be not all that great.”

“Cole—”

He cut her off by setting aside the coffee mug and walking away. He paused in the hall outside the bathroom door and listened for movement, crying, running water, whatever. The silence made him wonder how much time he should give her.

Hearing Kathleen behind him, he turned. “You sent me to get her so you wouldn’t risk tipping Kincaid off that the feds are onto him.”

“Like I said before, I had no way of knowing—”

“You knew that Dixon Ramsey works for Kincaid. That means he has easy access to Kincaid’s property. That’s why he was able to skirt security. Bailey was a sitting duck there. Completely unsuspecting and vulnerable. And you
knew
it.”

Kathleen raised her chin. “Why do you think I told you it was imperative that you get to her quickly?”

“You should have stormed the place with a team of federal agents. A woman’s life was in jeopardy.
Jesus.
What the hell’s wrong with you?”

“Cole, I’m sorry. I thought at the time I was making the right decision. Sending feds in would have blown the whole investigation, which incidentally involves several federal law enforcement agencies. Isn’t the important thing that Bailey is all right?”

Disgust churned through his gut like nausea. She had no idea what she’d risked. “Bailey’s not all right. Not only was she almost killed, but you and your CBP buddy jerked a huge freaking rug out from under her. Not only is her brother in danger, but a man she’s trusted her entire life is a crook. She’s not going to be all right for a long time.”

Kathleen arched a haughty brow. “She’s got you, doesn’t she?”
 

He glared at her, appalled that he had at one time thought he could have loved this woman. “You and Mr. Sark should go.”

Dropping her gaze, she had the decency to look contrite. “We’re going to need her help to keep her brother on track. He might be willing to testify now, but he’ll probably waffle somewhere along the line.”

“Yeah, well, maybe you should work on arresting somebody before we get to that. Until that happens, Bailey’s a target.”

Kathleen’s lips tightened, as if she held back a biting retort. “There are agents in front and in back. No one’s getting anywhere near this place.”

He scrubbed his hands over his face. He thought of Bailey in the pool, unmoving and still, and wondered how long it would take to get that horrifying image out of his head.

Kathleen shifted her stance and released a soft sigh. “Look, Cole … I’m sorry. I made a bad call. I thought we had time … I certainly never meant for Bailey to get hurt. You have to know that.”

He nodded, suddenly exhausted beyond reason. “I know. I’m just … God, this night could have turned out so horribly wrong … it scared me, and I took it out on you. I shouldn’t have done that.”

She gave him a small smile. “Friends?”

“You need to catch these guys, Kath. Bailey and her nephew have been through too much already.”

“That’s our number one priority right now. I promise you.”

“Good.”

She started to say something more then paused, as if to rethink her words. “We’ve notified all law enforcement to be on the lookout for James. We should have him in custody by morning. Could you let Bailey know?”

He nodded. “Of course.”

With a tight smile, she gave him a curt nod. “I’ll head out then. I … I hope …” She gestured toward the bathroom door. “I hope she’s okay.”

“Me, too.”

Cole stayed where he was until he heard the front door close and the lock engage. Then he stared at the bathroom door, torn about what to do. What if she was crying in there?
 

He stepped forward and knocked lightly. “Bailey?”

No answer. Damn it. Should he leave her alone? But, God, he didn’t want to. He wanted to be there for her.
 

He tried the knob, grateful that it turned. At least she hadn’t locked him out. He eased it open just a crack. Damn, she hadn’t even turned on the light. “Bailey?”

“I’m okay.” She sounded muffled and hoarse.

As the light from the hall filtered in, he saw her sitting with her back against the white porcelain tub, her legs drawn up to her chest. Her forehead rested on her knees, hiding her face from view.

Cole sat beside her and maneuvered an arm around her shoulders, surprised when she curled into him, sinking her fingers into the front of his shirt.

He released his held breath and enfolded her in his arms. “It’s okay,” he murmured, stroking a hand over her hair. “It’s going to be okay.”

Chapter 38

Bailey curled in a comfortable wicker chair in the dimly lit living room, wrapped in a blanket to combat the chill she couldn’t shake. Rain kept up a steady patter against the windows while weakening gusts of wind hit the side of the small house and thunder rumbled faintly overhead.

Her body felt bruised from head to foot, her head aching and stuffy, her eyes burning from chlorine and tears. She still couldn’t grasp what the federal agents had told her about Payne and her brother. Would this disassociation eventually wear off? Would her life ever be anything but surreal again?
 

Cole walked in from the kitchen with two coffee mugs, one of which he handed to her. “It’s decaf laced with liberal amounts of alcohol to warm you up,” he said.

“Thanks.” She accepted the cup with both hands and brought it to her lips. She grimaced as she swallowed. The heat of the alcohol seared all the way down. “You’re not kidding. What is it? Four parts whiskey, one part coffee?”

“Close.” He settled on the adjacent sofa.
 

“Are you trying to get me drunk?”

His lips curved a little. “Am I so predictable?”

She leaned her head against the chair back. In the dim light, he looked even hotter than usual. The sleeves of his borrowed shirt hugged his biceps, his skin smooth and tan. His hair looked as if he’d dragged a towel through it rather than a comb.

It would be so easy to be reckless with him. She’d almost died tonight. Weren’t people who came that close to dying supposed to have a strong need to celebrate life? Her need was definitely strong, but she figured it had less to do with almost dying and more to do with the way he looked
into
her. And the way he’d held her on the bathroom floor while she’d cried. And the way he’d fought for her with the federal agents. And the way he’d saved her life. And the way he kissed … God, the way he
kissed
.

But starting something with him, or rather, continuing it—since whatever this was had started a couple blistering kisses ago—seemed foolish. If James entered witness protection, she would, too. She couldn’t let Austin go. Not for anything or anyone.

Besides, this wasn’t
love
. Lust? Sure. The events of the past week had been so intense that everything she felt was magnified. When it was all over, maybe Cole would go back to being aloof and uninterested. And she would go back to being … what?
 

Alone.

“Oh,” Cole said, setting aside his coffee. He dug into his front pocket then pulled out a tiny plastic bottle with a blue label. “I found these in the medicine cabinet.”

When she accepted the eye drops, their fingers brushed. No electrical current passed between them. Just a heat that she wished would chase away the chill in her bones.

“Thank you.” She set aside her coffee cup and fumbled with the tiny cap with trembling fingers. How frustrating that she couldn’t make herself stop shaking. God, she hated being so weak.
 

“Let me.” Cole rescued the bottle from her clumsy fingers and uncapped it. “Tilt your head back.”

She obeyed, the angle giving her a different view of his face. The dim light shifted the shadows over his features, made his narrowed blue eyes look dark. His lips were set in a determined line. She remembered what his mouth had done to her senses, and her breath threatened to hitch.
 

She held still as he squeezed the soothing drops into her eyes.

His brow creased as he gazed down at her. “Do they sting?”

“No.”

“Why are you holding your breath?”

A faint laugh escaped her, and she resumed breathing. “Just practicing for the next time someone tries to drown me.”

He smiled only faintly. “Is that better?”

She blinked several times, the discomfort already receding, and wiped at the moisture clinging to her lashes. “Yes, much. Thank you.”

He lowered his head and brushed his lips over hers, quickly, casually, before he returned to the sofa and retrieved his cup. Crossing his legs, he sipped, watching her over the rim.

Rattled both by his show of easy affection and the fact that he didn’t try to take the embrace further, Bailey picked up her own cup and took a drink that was more like a gulp. Already, the alcohol seemed to be working on her system, warming her from the inside. Or perhaps that was Cole.
 

Her heart began to drum, its rhythm like the beat of a sensual dance, heavy and slow, beating in places that had been neglected for too long. Whoa, she thought. Hormone alert.